Watching Over Me
by Jade of Lothlorien
Summary: Takes place in the Mirai Timeline. My take on what happens toTrunks between the time he finds Gohan dead.


A/N: I don't know what possessed me to write this, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I'm not so sure, but I'll let the readers decide. This takes place in the Mirai timeline...I watched "The History of Trunks" and wondered what happened between the time Gohan died and when Trunks takes the time machine to the past. Here is my take on it.  
  
Oh yeah, I need some help with my Japanese. I've seen a couple words in some fics that I don't understand. What does "shimatta" mean? Help is appreciated.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ, and I'm not making any money writing this. So there.  
  
  
Watching Over Me  
  
Black clouds rolled across the sky with the howling wind. Rain fell from those clouds in angry torrents. Lightning flashed madly and deafening thunderclaps shook the ground.  
  
Trunks flew through the rain, ignoring the huge drops that soaked his clothes and slicked his lavender hair back. His blue eyes frantically scanned the rubble of the city, searching for his master.  
  
::Gohan's alive.:: He kept thinking over and over. ::He has to be. He just has to be.::  
  
A flash of orange against the gray of the concrete caught Trunks's eye. As he landed, he felt a chill run up his spine. Even before he saw it, he knew without a doubt. Tears welled up in his eyes at the sight before him.  
  
There, lying in a pile of rocks and shattered glass, was a broken, charred body. Blood stained the orange uniform and the asphalt around it. The puddle the body lay in was deep red.  
  
"Gohan...no..." Trunks whispered; he felt that he was about to choke. "You were my best friend...you were everything to me..." His salty tears streamed down his face and mixed with the cold rain. He didn't notice.  
  
::They did this. The Androids. One day they'll pay for this.::  
  
Pain and rage boiled up within Trunks like nothing he'd ever experienced before. He felt empty inside except for a blazing fire of madness. Throwing his head back, Trunks let out a terrible scream. A sickening scream full of grief.  
  
Suddenly something snapped. A barrier that had held him back in the past began to crumble. Trunks felt the inferno inside explode. His hair spiked up and glowed yellow, and his eyes turned to green-blue. A gold aura pulsed around him as he continued to yell uncontrollably. He was letting it all out. He was a Super Saiyan.  
  
Trunks stood over his fallen master, his friend, and screamed until he couldn't stand anymore. When his power and strength gave out, he collapsed onto Gohan's lifeless body. The rain soaked him to the bone, but Trunks curled up in the ruins next to Gohan and proceeded to cry. His wrenching sobs racked his small frame for what seemed like eternity before he faded out of consciousness.   
  
***  
  
When Trunks opened his eyes again, he was starring through total darkness. After a moment the haze over his senses lifted and he realized he was lying on something soft and spongy. His bed. He was completely dry, just in his boxers and a clean shirt. Reaching up to touch his face, he felt his cheeks were puffy and coated with dry tears.  
  
A sudden light cut through the blackness and Trunks shielded his eyes until they adjusted to the brightness.  
  
Bulma stood in the doorway, the bright light framing her body and shadowing her face. "Trunks? You awake honey?"  
  
Trunks groaned and sat up slowly. "Y-yeah Mom, I'm awake."  
  
Bulma came in and sat down on the edge of his bed. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Uh-huh. I-I'm fine." He answered distantly. Why did his mother sound so concerned? What had happened? Suddenly his memory jerked back into place and he remembered everything.  
  
"Oh Kami, Mom! Gohan! They killed him!" He began to cry again, ashamed of his own tears, but at the same time not really caring.  
  
Bulma wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him tightly. "I know, Trunks. I know." She whispered softly in his ear, her own voice breaking.  
  
For a moment they sat there, crying on each other's shoulders. Finally, Trunks pulled away and wiped his face with the tail of his shirt. His grief quickly turned to anger.  
  
"Damn those Androids! They killed him! It's their fault he's dead!" He clenched his fists and punched the wall, his hand breaking through the plasterboard.  
  
"Trunks! Don't..." Bulma started to scold him, but fell silent when the fury in his eyes faded to another emotion...guilt.  
  
"No...it's my fault." He slumped, defeated. "If I had only been there...he wouldn't have died. I could have saved him, but since he was alone, they overpowered him. It's my fault..." He choked back more tears, but large, warm drops trailed down his cheeks anyway.  
  
"Trunks, look at me." When he wouldn't, Bulma placed her hand under his chin and forced him to face her. "Where were you that you couldn't help?"  
  
"Gohan knocked me out so I wouldn't follow him." Trunks whimpered.  
  
"Okay. Now listen very carefully to what I'm going to say. Gohan knocked you out for a reason: to protect you. He knew you weren't ready to fight yet, so he did the only thing he could do to keep you safe. If you had gone with him, I would have stumbled upon TWO bodies in the rain instead of just one. Do you understand? This wasn't your fault. It was the Androids, Trunks, not you."  
  
Trunks blinked away the tears so he could see his mother's face clearly. She was right.  
  
Bulma saw his believing gaze and nodded. "The Androids. You have to channel some of that anger and energy to find a way to stop those monsters before it's too late."  
  
"I-I'm a Super Saiyan now."  
  
"I know, I saw you. I'm proud of you Trunks, I just wish it didn't take this for you to achieve it."  
  
Trunks nodded solemnly and suddenly realized how tired he was. An exhausted chill was creeping into his body.  
  
Seeing the weariness cross his face, Bulma hugged Trunks one more time. "You need sleep, Trunks. We'll talk about it more in the morning."  
  
"Right." He yawned, settled down under the warm covers, and buried his face in his pillow. Almost immediately, he was asleep.  
  
Bulma gently kissed his head and started for the door. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and quickly turned with a small gasp. But there was nothing there. Losing Gohan must have gotten to her head; she could have sworn she had seen a short, muscular figure with tall black hair standing over Trunks.  
  
::Vegeta?:: Bulma wondered, looking up towards the heavens. Sighing, she shook her head and shut the door behind her. ::If only you could see your son now.::  
  
***  
  
Months later, Trunks stood out in the field he and Gohan had trained in. His eyes were closed, focusing on his attacks like Gohan had taught him. Something was bothering him, though. It was almost like someone was watching him, judging his every move. Shrugging off the feeling, he opened his eyes, fell into fighting stance and quickly ran over the form in his head while he executed it.  
  
::Double punch, spinning round kick, block, backhand, front kick, block.:: He did a perfect back handspring and, once he landed, jump kicked, blocked and tired to flip and then roll. He miscalculated his flip and landed squarely on his back.  
  
He cried out and gritted his teeth against the pain. Taking a deep breath, he was able to relax. Instead of getting up, he just lay there, looking up at the azure blue sky. There was still that feeling that eyes were on him. But there was no one around for miles.  
  
::I'm just being paranoid.:: Trunks thought. He closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of the wildflowers around him. He sighed contentedly, allowing sleep to creep into his consciousness.  
  
"You're the only hope."  
  
Trunks sat bolt upright. "WHAT?!" He looked around frantically, but saw nothing but the tall, rolling grass. He had heard someone speak. He was positive he'd heard Gohan's voice.  
  
Listening carefully, Trunks heard a songbird caroling not far away. That was all. But...  
  
"Gohan?" Trunks called, feeling slightly foolish. No answer came.  
  
I must be hearing things. Maybe I dozed off again. He lay back again, looking up into the sky.  
  
"You're the only Saiyan left now, Trunks."  
  
Trunks sat up again. He KNEW he'd heard it this time. Searching all around him, he still didn't see anything. Suddenly, understanding hit him and he turned his gaze skyward once more.  
  
"Don't worry. We're watching over you."  
  
Then, Trunks saw it. There, floating high above him, were three figures. They were all hazy, almost transparent. The first was Gohan, smiling proudly. The second was a tall man with black hair that stuck out in all directions and gentle eyes full of purity. Trunks remembered the big goofy grin from pictures...Gohan's father Goku. Trunks recognized the last figure only by his mother's descriptions: short in stature but strongly built, dark hair that defied gravity, and an ever-present scowl. The scowl softened slightly when Trunks looked at him. Vegeta. His father.  
  
"What...how are..." Trunks stammered, staring wide-eyed.  
  
"We're always here, Trunks. Protecting you." Goku answered.   
  
"Never be afraid, my son." Vegeta told him.  
  
To Trunks's dismay, the trio began to fade.  
  
"No, wait! Don't leave me again!" He yelled.  
  
"We're watching over you." Their voices ever so slowly died out, leaving Trunks alone again.  
  
Trunks's eyelids slid open as a butterfly landed on his nose. Brushing it away, he sat and blinked a few times. It had been a dream. Goku, Gohan and Vegeta...a dream.   
  
Glancing up at the clouds, Trunks shivered. Even if it had been a dream, he now knew that they were, in fact, with him all the time. That knowledge made the pain in his heart ease a little. The three strongest fighters in the universe were protecting him. They were watching over him.  
  
Trunks stood up, dusted himself off, and started his training again. He was going to become strong and destroy those Androids. For his father, for Goku, and most of all, for Gohan.  
  
The End  



End file.
